Cartridge-shell.



No. 735,351. PATENTED AUG. 4, 1903. M. DREGER & G. POHLIT.

CARTRIDGE SHELL.

APPLICATION FILED 001230. 1900.

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Fig. 6.

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TN ES. (M y 72W 3 i UNrra S'ra'ras Patented August 4, 1903.

Patent rrrcn.

MAX DREGER AND CARL POHLIT, OF ESSEN-QN-THE-RUHR, GERMANY, ASSIGNORS TO FRIED. KRUPP, OF ESSEN ONTHE-RUHR, GERMANY.

CARTR! SLECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 735,351, dated August 4, 1903.

Application filed October 30, 1900. $erial No. 34,873. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, MAX DREGER and CARL PoHLrr, citizens of the German Empire,residing at Essen-on-the-Ruhr, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Iniprovements in Cartridge-Shells, of which the following is a specification;

Our invention has reference to improvements in cartridge-shells for firearms, and has for its object to effect an operative and complete closure between the shell and the gun barrel or tube at the time of firing, so as to prevent the entrance of the gases of combustion into the clearance-space between the shell and the surrounding portion of the barrel or tube. In practice it is necessary to provide a certain clearance between the shell and the barrel or tube, so as to permit the ready insertion of the cartridge before the shot is fired and also to insure the ejection of the shell after the shot has been fired. The clearance must be so large that the dust or sand which is thrown up by the shock caused bythe shot and drawn into the barrel or tube, as in the case of field artillery, will not interfere with the ready insertion of the cartridge or the ejection of the empty shell. Furthermore, smutting of the barrel or breech by the powder-gases as well as remaining small portions of powder and bending or swelling of the shell should not obstruct or interfere with loading. It will therefore be readily understood from the foregoing that the clearance between the shell and the tube or barrel must not be made too small. A large clearance, however, carries with it the disadvantage that upon firing the action of the shell in its expansion is not sufficiently quick to prevent the passage of a small quantity of gas past the mouth of the shell and into the clearance-space. Consequently not only a loss of gas takes place with resulting irregularities in the initial velocity of the projectile and initial pressure of gas, but the surrounding gases smut the tube or barrel just at the part where the tube or barrel should remain the cleanest for the purpose of loading. 1f larger quantities of gases pass past the mouth of the shell, they may even penetrate the breech and produce smutting in this latter part to such an extent as to render the next operation of the breech questionable.

With the object above referred to in view our invention consists, essentially, in a cartridge-shell having its mouth provided with a cireumferentially-extended portion adapted to engage with the surrounding bore of the barrel or tube, so as to prevent the penetration of gases into the clearance-space.

The nature of our invention will best be understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a sectional View showing a cartridge embodying our inventioninserted into the bore of a firearm. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are similar views with parts broken away, illustrating modifications of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A designates the cartridge-shell, and B the projectile having the driving-band b, as usual. In the present instance the shell A is tapered from its base or rim to its mouth, and at this latter portion the wall is thickened gradually, so as to form a circumferential extension a of such diameter as to closely fit the correspond ing portion of the bore of the tube or barrel 0. In Fig. 2 a similar construction is shown, but the extension to is formed by a circumferential rib or enlargement (2 directly at the mouth of the shell, which presents to the bore of the tube or barrel a circumferential surface instead of a circumferential edge, as shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. 3 the closure is effected by expanding the wall at the mouth of the shell A without increasing the thickness of the wall thereof, as in the case of the preceding examples. In Fig. l the mouth of the cart-ridge is expanded, as in Fig. 3, but is turned over sufficiently to present a cylindrical surface to the bore of the barrel or tube instead of a circumferential edge, as shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 5 the mouth of the shell is enlarged by offsetting a cylindrical belt or zone, and thus presenting to the bore of the tube or barrel a cylindrical belt or zone, as in Fig. 4, but of increased depth or width.

It is evident that the mouth of the shell may be formed in other ways to produce the same result, and consequently we do not wish to restrict ourselves to any of the particular forms herein illustrated, as our invention consists, essentially, in providing means for closing off the ingress of gases directly at the mouth of the shell by a new formation of this portion of the shell.

What We claim as new is In a cartridge-shell, the combination with an essentially cylindrical part having a lesser diameter than the bore of the gun-barrel, and at its bottom a circumferentially-projecting rim adapted to be pressed against the breech of the gunba.rrel by the breech-elosing mechanism, of a circuinferentially-ext'ended portion at the mouth of the shell adapted to engage with the inner wall of the bore, so as to prevent the penetration of gases into the clearance-space between the bore of the gun-barrel and the cylindrical part of the cartridge.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAX DREGER. CARL POIILI'I. \Vitnesses:

WILLIAM EssENWEIN, PETER LIEBER. 

